Directing instructor Christina Kallas has one of only 16 feature films selected for the 2022 Slamdance International Film Festival and one of only six feature films in the acclaimed “Breakouts Section” for directors with a body of work. Paris Is in Harlem, the new feature film by directing adjunct faculty member from the School of Visual, Media and Performing Arts Christina Kallas, will have its world premiere at the 2022 Slamdance Film Festival. Kallas has been teaching in the undergraduate film program for three years. The film is a dramatic ensemble jazz musical set in 2017 on the day when New York City’s controversial Cabaret Law, or “no dancing law,” was finally repealed after 91 years of institutional racism that targeted musicians and business owners of color. Paris Is in Harlem is one of only six feature films selected for Slamdance’s Breakouts slate of films by “directors who demonstrate a determined vision of filmmaking that is distinctly their own. These artists continue to push the boundaries of filmmaking, creating their own genres and forms.” The film follows myriad New Yorkers through their separate but intertwined lives that converge one winter night at the historic Paris Blues jazz bar in Harlem, where the story begins—with two gunshots. Structured like the most freewheeling of American art forms—jazz—this is the story of a neighborhood, a city, and an America “that will find a way to dance again.” The film is the third installment in Kallas’ Love Letters to New York trilogy, following the critically acclaimed ensemble dramas 42 Seconds of Happiness (Fox/Tubi, 2016) and The Rainbow Experiment (Paramount+, 2018.) Greek born and New York–based Kallas is also the writer-producer of Berlin’s Golden Bear–nominated political thriller The Commissioner, starring John Hurt. Dedicated to fostering a community for independent emerging artists, Slamdance’s feature competition lineup boasts 23 premieres, including 13 world, 6 North American, and 4 U.S. debuts. Chosen from over 1,500 submissions, this year’s lineup hails from all corners of the globe, including Germany, Australia, Iran, Canada, China, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom, among others. Slamdance will hold its virtual festival program with an accessible and robust lineup of virtual screenings and events from January 27 through February 6. A virtual festival pass of $10 allows audiences to watch all films. Passes can pre-order a pass at slamdance.com/Festival/#passes.
